Migrants in Mexico form group to march towards US

Nearly a thousand migrants that recently crossed from Guatemala into Mexico have formed a group to head north together in hopes of reaching the border with the United States.

The group, made up of largely Venezuelan migrants, walked on Saturday along a highway in southern Mexico, led by a Venezuelan flag with the phrase "Peace, Freedom. SOS."

The men, women, children and teenagers were followed by Mexican National Guard patrols.

Migrants told The Associated Press they crossed into Mexico illegally through a river dividing the two countries.

They said they decided to organise the group and start because many had been sleeping on the street and had run out of money to buy food.

"We just want to move forward, to fulfill our American dream and work, because we're all workers here," one Venezuelan, Roseli Gloria, said while taking a brief rest along the highway.

She carried a backpack and a piece of rolled-up foam for sleeping.

She said she had been in Mexico for a week before joining the group.

Participants in the group said that they received little aid from Mexican immigration authorities and that they were given mixed and confusing instructions about how to move forward or seek asylum in the US.

The journey is not an easy one, with migrants often targeted by kidnappings, extortion and other violence from armed groups in the region.

As a result, migrants often travel in groups of hundreds to stay safe.

Migrants from Venezuela previously sought refuge in other South American nations like Colombia and Peru, but increasingly they are making the perilous journey through the jungles of the Darien Gap between Colombia and Panama in an attempt to reach the US.

Restrictions

The formation of the latest migrant group in southern Mexico comes amid a record migratory flow to the United States from countries across Latin America.

In the 12 months through May 2023, US authorities reported nearly 2.5 million encounters with migrants on its southern border, an uptick from the year before.

Previously, during the Covid-19 pandemic, US authorities invoked a law known as Title 42 to swiftly expel an array of migrants on public health grounds – usually without sanctions – but that authority ceased on May 11 when the government declared an end to the health emergency.

Since then, a law known as Title 8 has prevailed, providing for strict penalties for those crossing who do not qualify for asylum, including five-year bans on entering the country and possible criminal charges.